The most anticipated game of this weekend's NCAA Division I Men's quarterfinals will go down Saturday at Hofstra, when Denver meets second-seeded Albany. The reason? It all comes down to the faceoff x.
There, we will see a faceoff matchup for the ages, with Denver's Trevor Baptiste going up against Albany's TD Ierlan. It could go down as one of the most historic individual matchups in college lacrosse history.
Ierlan leads the nation with an 83.4 faceoff win percentage, and Baptiste sits behind him at 76.5. Baptiste, however, was named as a Tewaaraton Award finalist. The matchup could come down to small details in each player's game, so who better to break it down than the king himself?
U.S. national team star Greg Gurenlian goes step-by-step through the Baptiste-Ierlan battle.
Stance (kneeling, one knee down, standing, etc.)
Knee Down Moto Grip. But both are capable of utilizing the standing neutral grip.
Signature Move (plunger/pinch & pop, rake, jam, etc.)
Both use the plunger as a primary move and then go into the screw drill on a lock up.
Exit Strategy (offensive, defensive, etc.)
They utilize multiple exits through the “prohop” Neither athlete slides the ball out on a knee, they are elite with their post-whistle footwork.
Spy vs. Spy (how Baptiste can neutralize Ierlan, vice versa)
Trevor’s main move is a heavy plunger to dominate the column. That’s his advantage in this battle if TD steps back on the whistle. If TD keeps his left foot planted and rotates hard around the ball he can set the pace.